The Bitter Watches of the Night
by Luinil
Summary: This story is based on the movies. Eowyn is distressed knowing that she IS alone, She meets an elf, Tareldar, whose presence is surrounded by questions.... One chapter left until completion. Reviews greatly appreciated! (Wormtongue, Eowyn, Tareldar)
1. Default Chapter

The Bitter Watches of the Night

by Luinil 

Disclaimer: I take no right to any publication nor characters written by Mr. Tolkein, and the use of _his_Quenya (Elvish) language will be used in this purely fictional story. This work is based on the movie trilogy, though my knowledge of the books may slip in every now and then by accident. You will have to bare with me. 

Notes:   
I am not so sure of the outcome of this story yet, so I have rated to the best of my judgement, and at the moment, it looks to be rather sad. (It may never reach a point where a "R" rating is warranted on the other hand...) On the timeline, this takes place right after the scene in which Grima almost seduced Eowyn into believing he was the only one there for her. In a sense, crushing her spirit. I am lengthening the time it will take for Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf to reach Rohan. This means my story will be set right in between the two points. I have always found Grima Wormtongue interesting, so he will be a chief character. I have no idea how long the story will be, but I hate to let things drag out, so it will be farely fast paced, and I will complete it quickly for those who hate abandoned projects. I think that's everything.... Enjoy! -------'---@ 

CHAPTER ONE 

Eowyn ran from him, his words haunting her mind. What truely scared her was how easily it had been for her to take comfort in that icy touch... How could that be? A shield maiden should never fall prey to such seduction. It was not her fate to live that life... A life alongside any man was unthinkable, unless it was to bare arms beside him. She stopped her running, not sure as to where her plight had taken her. She was back in the place where the injured were being held. Sadness befell her again. She had wanted to be with them during that fight, not care for them once their spirits and bodies lay broken. 

Theodred had died in the pursuit of honoring his father, and Theoden was at the point of a living death. She had needed her brother Eomer as something stable in her life, but he and the Rohirrum had left Rohan in order to kill the orcs enslaving their lands. And she knew that she was alone, just as Wormtongue had known... She loathed herself for almost giving in to that vile creature for the sake of companionship. Had she not been concerned over the fate of the king, she would have long left this fortress, which daily became more and more symbolic of a prison.   
  
A sound escaped the door that she stood near. All of her thoughts ceased as she turned towards it. She looked at the locked door, and a feeling of avoidance flooded her. Had no one tended to the injured man behind the doors? Her hand grew close to open it, but then she stopped. Had there been good cause in leaving him be? Was he even a man? Eowyn pulled back her shoulders. Her people would never bring an enemy to these grounds. So it was a man... and a man that must have given cause to the women for them not to heal him. _I fear nothing!_ The words rang thru her mind as she flung the old wood door wide open. 

In the bed, lay a light-haired man. He was slender, and very tall. His hair was far too long for Rohan fashion, but very well kept. He grasped his side, covering a large wound that had not been mended. No metal armor was on his body, instead a unique green fabric covered him as makeshift armor. Eowyn went to his bedside, not believing that any man would head into battle in such garb. She moved his hand to the side, seeing the deep rooted cut, and grabbed a cloth by his bedstand, applying pressure until she could figure out how to treat it. "How could they let you lay here!" She found herself saying to the air, and once again realized that Grima had poisoned the little solace that this had given her. Despair began to flood her heart, and she absently pushed the cloth even harder into the man's wound. She did not notice his body twist painfully at the movement. She closed her mouth, taking more of her emotions out on the cloth, watching the blood stain the silky white. She felt better seeing it, knowing that the wound this man held was from battle, and the cloth showed how her dress would look if she had been struck in the same manner. "Not many women in your country care to treat my kind...Though it would seem you would be one them, as you plan to torture me at the heart of the wound, my Lady..." Eowyn became startled hearing the new voice, and looked at him. An unnaturally pair of blue eyes stared back at her, unblinking, but holding a soft compassion towards her. It was then that she noticed his ears. _Pointed ears..._ This man was of elf-kind.... 

"You're an elf!" She strayed back, forgetting his injury, bringing her hand to her mouth in shock. The elf grabbed his side in severe pain, breaking the eye contact that they had held. "_Tul untuphuine!"_He cried out, as he saw more of his blood stain the bed. (The darkness has come to claim me!) Eowyn did not understand him, but could see the deep pain he was in. She rushed back to his side, retrieving the cloth she had dropped. He seemed resistant to her touch, and then she realized why. "Forgive me.... But I have never seen your race... Lord Elf..." The name sounded ridiculous even to her, but she knew not what else to call him. "I was told that your kind were immortal... So I did not expect to see one of you in Rohan, much less in a bed for the wounded." He seemed to relax somewhat, and fell back into his lying position. Sweat beaded his brow, and she could tell that he was trying to force words out of his dry mouth. She moved away gently, placing a hand on his forehead. He looked at her again. "I will be back shortly, Lord, I must get you some provisions and bandages with stitch." As she pulled away, a small resistance on her wrist held her back. When she looked to see what it was, she saw the elf's hand slip back down onto the bed. Her eyes strayed to his pained face, and his eyes faltered for a moment, before he slipped into unconsciousness. Eowyn watched him sleep until she was sure he was in a deep dream, and then left. 

_to be continued....._   
--------------------------------------------- 

Chapter 2 will be up shortly, but in the meantime, I love reviews! They let me know how the story is doing and if you like it or not, so they are really important to my thought process. Thanks for taking your time to read this! 

-Luinil   
"The Blue Star shall shine on those whose hearts feel empty, and fill them with the grace of light."   
  



	2. Chapter Two

The Bitter Watches of the Night

by Luinil 

Disclaimer: I take no right to any publication nor characters written by Mr. Tolkein, and I will be using his Quenya (Elvish) language in this purely fictional story. This work is based on the movie trilogy, though my knowledge of the books may slip in every now and then by accident. You will have to bare with me. 

Notes:   
I am not so sure of the outcome of this story yet, so I have rated it to the best of my judgement, and at the moment, it looks to be rather sad. (It may never reach a point where a "R" rating is warranted on the other hand...) Sorry for any grammar errors in the first chapter, I will have to start proofreading better =). I don't know how to make accents on letters, so when I'm writing Elvish, it will look a little unusual. Sorry for that, but there's nothing I can do. **I MADE A HUGE MISTAKE.... I SAID THE ELF WAS LIGHT-HAIRED.... HE HAS BLACK!!!! SORRY!!** I still have no idea how long the story will be, but, as I stated earlier, I hate to let things drag out, so it will be farely fast paced, and I will complete it quickly for those who hate abandoned projects. I think that's everything.... Enjoy! -------'---@ 

P.S.- For those that wrote a review while I was writing this chapter, I'm sorry. I posted this the same day as I posted the first chapter, so I did not get a chance to read any, if there are any at all... If you did write a review, I will address you personally (and kindly even if it is a flame) in the following chapters. _Namarie!_   


CHAPTER TWO 

Eowyn braced herself against the table in the kitchen while she waited for the water to boil. She would bring the elf some food in a bit. It would be best to let him sleep while he could. But questions still plagued her mind. Why was he in that room? Who had brought him back and why? But more distressing, during that moment, where she had seen his blood, why would she wish that it were her own? She knew that those were no thoughts of valor... The counter to that thought scared her. Did she wish for death? No.... She realized. She wished that her wounds _were_ visible. The injuries she carried were in the heart, and were not so easily healed as those of skin and bone. If her pains had been true blood, her spirit and will would have conquered. The peircing feeling in her heart, she knew, could never heal alone. 

A plump woman came into the kitchen, scurrying for fresh rags. Eowyn called to her, "Nurse! Who is the man in the bed room?" The woman looked up, not having noticed Eowyn before. "Oh my Lady Eowyn..." "The man, with the stomach injury...." The woman became ruffled, and stuttered. "Why .....my lady... A stomach injury? I don't know of who you speak....Why, there are many men ......in many beds 'round here..." Eowyn became impatient. "The elf. Why has he not been treated? Who left him to lay in the dark until his wound claimed his life?!" The woman grew still, twisting one of the rags in her hands nervously. "My Lady, I do not know.... Anar brought him to us.... He said that Eomer ordered us to keep him... that he knew something 'bout Theodred...." Eowyn's anger swelled. She grabbed the rags from the woman. "And you would let such a man die!" The woman called after Eowyn, but she did not care. This elf, whoever he may be, would not slip into oblivion... Not while it was in her hands. 

When she entered the room, she found him standing, barely, by the window. "You are standing...." She said in awe. He turned towards her, eyes peircingly clear. "You mended it well..." Eowyn came beside him, intrusively lifting his shirt. The bandage was in place, but the wound seemed already a week old. "How..." Her finger lightly traced it. The elf's hand pulled hers away gently. "When we survive a wound, it does not last long.... AS you said, I am immortal." Eowyn stood straight up, noticing the definite comparison of his build to a ordinary man. "You still stand as though the wound is fresh, Lord Elf. I would not try your luck so early, even if you gifted with that grace." Then he smiled, and as false as it was, Eowyn had not seen a smile in months, and the unfamiliararity caused her lips to part into one as well. She looked away from him, sudden relief flowing through her veins. He spoke once more, "I am willing to take your advice, if only for a short time......" There was a pause between them, and Eowyn became uncomfortable again, a silent cough escaping her lips. "My name is Eowyn.... I am King Theoden's niece." (*Luinil- I hope that's correct.... I can't remember*) The elf's eyes softened, and when he spoke, his voice was noble and grand. "I am Tareldar. I am in great debt to your kindness in tending to me, Lady Eowyn." He kneeled, placing soft lips upon her hand. The chivalry made her feel ill at ease. Romanticism was never a part of her life, unless you counted war stories.... or Grima Wormtongue.... 

There was a tap at the door, and both turned to see the above spoken in the doorway, mindlessly tapping a single finger upon the already open door. He had witnessed the whole thing. Tareldar moved away from Eowyn almost instinctively, but not obviously, and left Eowyn to regain her composure. "So he has awoken from his nightmare, I see..." Grima snaked towards them, his watchful eye inspecting everything about them. He stopped in front of Eowyn, his pale and frightening eyes staring her down. "My lady... You are needed in the Great Hall..." Eowyn felt frozen in his gaze for a moment, as though he were staring at a bird in a cage. The thought sickened her, and she brushed passed him, a single lock of her curly hair, sliding thru his upraised hand. His eyes lingered on her a moment more in sad longing, and then he turned to Tareldar, his face twisting into one of anger and contempt. "As for you, Lord Tareldar, it would be wise to keep to your bed, less you wish to return to your woods..." Tareldar stood proudly. His voice spoke in quiet but powerful notes. "_Dil serke vasa gurth" _(You are devoted to darkness, and consumed by death.) He switched back to commontongue. "I know I will never see Fangorn again... as you do..." Grima smiled in a twisted way, turning from him. "Perhaps it would have been better for you if Fair Eowyn had not found you." He began to close the door as he left, "You will rot in this darkness, Prince Tareldar..." The door closed on the elf's murderous face, leaving no light in the room. 


	3. Chapter Three

The Bitter Watches of the Night

by Luinil - "The Blue Star will shine upon those whose hearts are empty and fill them with the grace of light" 

Disclaimer: I take no right to any publication nor characters written by Mr. Tolkein, and I will be using his Quenya (Elvish) language in this purely   
fictional story. This work is based on the movie trilogy, though my knowledge of the books may slip in every now and then by accident. You will have   
to bare with me. 

Notes:   
I am sure of the outcome of this story now, so I have rated it to the best of my judgement, and it will be rather sad. (It may   
never reach a point where a "R" rating is warranted on the other hand...) Are you confused with Tareldar and Wormtongue's familiarity? Don't worry it will be explained in time. I'm guessing this will have 3 to 4 more chapters coming. I will complete it, I'm not a deserter. =) 

P.S.- For those that wrote a review, here are my answers/comments/thanks:   
There wasn't any.... =( 

CHAPTER THREE 

--_flashback--___

The woods groaned as Tareldar walked beneath them. Branches swiped sneakily behind him, trying to make him prey for their roots. The trees of Fangorn knew better than to let a "high elf" such as he thru their borders. An elf whose blood was impure was as good as an orc. He had run from his home, knowing that he would find no peace in the Grey Havens. With him, he carried knowledge of Middle Earth's future. He could not disclose any of these visions to anyone of his own race, so he had left to insure that certain events would not take place. 

A twig cracked in front of him, and Tareldar almost laughed at his stalker's stupidity. "Who breaks twigs anymore?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt an eerie presence, not from the front, but from the.... "Twigs only break when you wish them to..." Tareldar felt his head being snapped back. He turned his face as much as he could to see his attacker. An Uruk-hai. Tareldar could not believe he hadn't read the signs better. The trees of the forest had not been attacking _him_, it had been the Uruk. Another twig cracked in front of him. He looked forward and saw a man. "Sauroman said that I'd find you here..." Tareldar struggled as the man came closer. "You are to cause trouble for us, are you not? What fate do you carry in your mind?" The man stared down Tareldar, his hand gripping the elf's chin roughly. "Do you know my name, elf?" The man spoke with an extreme distaste, and the Uruk behind him began to squeeze Tareldar painfully. Tareldar spoke roughly, his lungs not being able to take in enough oxygen. "You are Grima Wormtongue...." The Uruk released him and he fell to the ground. Coughing, he managed to sneak in, "a snake above all others..." Grima bent down, satisfied with the answer. "And is that because you know all about me? Do you know my plans?" Tareldar clammed up. He would not say anything else to this man. "Well, Prince Tareldar, I don't believe anyone will miss you if we kill you here.... before you can cause to much trouble..." Tareldar had the sudden notion that they would kill him, long before he could do any good. He flipped over on his back, kicking the Uruk backwards. Grima began to yell at the creature, a long wailing, whining voice breaking the silence of the forest. Tareldar ran forward, Grima cowardly getting out of the way. The Uruk ran after him though, and even with all of his elf speed, he soon felt a large pain in his gut. The Uruk roared, satisfied with the blow. Tareldar looked down, seeing that the beast had used his dagger to stab him thru the back. The point was sticking thru his front. Tareldar was stunned for a moment, but when the Uruk-hai pulled the dagger out again, the situation became very real, and he began to dart. He was slowed by the wound, and as he saw the monster gaining on him, he knew he would not make it. 

Suddenly, much to Tareldar's suprise and gratitude, a root grabbed the Uruk. Fangorn began to sway angrily. Tareldar took this chance to run, and darted away from the cries of the Uruk as he was pulled under. He began to hear the thunder of hooves ahead and ran towards the clearing... 

--_end_-- 

Tareldar awoke, lying in his bed quietly. It had been two weeks now, and he had been confined to this room. Of course the door was not locked, so confined wasn't really correct, but he stayed for Lady Eowyn. There was a sadness in her eyes, one like his own... and he could not bring himself to leave unless she knew. His wound had long been fully healed, and Eowyn knew that, yet he stayed... as if just his presence made her more at ease. He would stay as long as he could, but it also pained him that he had to hide things from her. Eowyn.... He knew all about her future... Sadness, despair... There was nothing he could do to change those events... Middle-Earth was of far more importance than his feelings of fair and un-fair. But he did know that his presence here only would cause her more suffering. He would have to leave soon.... 

-------'--@ 

Eowyn had been waiting for hours, when the door finally opened. Anar stepped through, half bowing to her as he walked quickly towards her. "You wished to see me?" Eowyn worked through the knots in her throat. "Why did my brother tell you to bring the elf here? Did he truelly know about Theodred?" Anar became slightly silent, but he answered. "The elf was found beside Theodred's body.... Your brother believes that he either tried to save the king's son... or..." Eowyn knew what he would say but she needed to hear it. "Or?" Anar became nervous. "Or he was the one who killed him..." Eowyn stumbled backwards, holding back tears. "And what is this based on?" Anar pulled out an orc dagger. "This was in his hands.... my lady...." Eowyn grabbed the knife. She was feeling sick suddenly. Theodred's blood still remained on the knife, and its blade was crude and uneven. "I must go... I....Tell no one to disturb me!" She dropped the hideous weapon to the floor, and ran from the room, leaving Anar. 

The room remained dark when she entered it, and as Eowyn came closer to the bed, the room seemed empty as well. She found Tareldar sleeping and took a moment to study his face. She had become so used to seeing him, it was almost as though she now came to see him out of purely wanting to. She placed her hand upon his cheek, pulling away a stray strand. _This man, elf, could not have killed Theodred...._ But then why had he been on the battlefield? She felt him stirring, and saw that he was looking up at her. "Eowyn..." She kneeled down beside him, trying to hide her tear streaked face. "I'm sorry to wake you....Tareldar, I...." She could not find words to ask him the questions, and just stared at him futily for answers. Tareldar moved towards her, inches away. "You've been crying..." Eowyn tried to laugh... "Yes... I've been doing that quite frequently these days... It's so unlike me..." There was silence for a moment, and both of them felt tension building. Tareldar brought his soft hands to her face, letting his warmth ease the icy cold of her cheeks. She leaned into his touch. "Tareldar.... I..." Tareldar whispered to her in elvish, long phrases of ethereal beauty, and then leaned towards her. She parted her lips in anticipation, and soon felt his own upon her. The kiss was slow and deliberate, meant to calm Eowyn, to allow her this one time of support from another. His hands began to lift her chest, and she moved with the action, slightly moving onto the bed. 

Tareldar was moving his hands along her breasts now, and she became more and more vulnerable to him. The feeling frightened her more than anything else, to trust Tareldar, but she also felt great waves of relief in doing so. Their kiss deepened, and Eowyn became more anxious. Tareldar felt her true needs from the kiss, and suddenly but compassionately moved his hands away from her, letting one stray to her chin. He held her face gently, and when they parted lips, he looked at her with one million emotions. "I am sorry that you are so alone, _rokko melien(_Maiden of the Horses) But to hasten these actions will only hurt you more..." Eowyn looked at him, and then collapsed into his chest, just crying. The feeling of washing away her burdens was all she had needed, and she loved Tareldar for giving that to her. Tareldar just held her, knowing that this woman was all he cared about, which meant he _would have_ to leave.... 

_to be concluded....._   
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Reviews!REVIEWS!! Please please please! Don't hate Tareldar for doing the right thing!!!   
=) 

-Luinil 


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